Archive for 2008

Opal's Sparkle Indicates Water
October 31, 2008
News and Features Opal's Sparkle Indicates Water

A new category of minerals that suggests past liquid water on Mars has been found to cover large regions of the planet's surface. The minerals commonly known as opal suggest that liquid water played a role in shaping Mars' surface.

Magnetic Portals Connect Earth to the Sun
October 31, 2008
News and Features Magnetic Portals Connect Earth to the Sun

Researchers have discovered 'magnetic portals' forming high above Earth that can briefly connect our planet to the Sun. Not only are the portals common, one space physicist contends they form twice as often as anyone had previously imagined.

STS-126 Mission 'Go' for Launch on Nov. 14
October 31, 2008
News and Features STS-126 Mission 'Go' for Launch on Nov. 14

Commander Chris Ferguson and the STS-126 crew will deliver new equipment and supplies to the International Space Station, paving the way for expanded crews.

'Ghost of Mirach' Materializes in Space Telescope Image
October 31, 2008
News and Features 'Ghost of Mirach' Materializes in Space Telescope Image

NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has lifted the veil off a ghost known to haunt the local universe, providing new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies.

Cassini Team Blogs About Enceladus Flyby
October 30, 2008
News and Features Cassini Team Blogs About Enceladus Flyby

Here we are, on one planet in this amazing solar system, flinging this wonderful machine with exquisite precision between the moons of another planet so far away.

Hubble Scores a Perfect Ten
October 30, 2008
News and Features Hubble Scores a Perfect Ten

Just a few days after the orbiting observatory was brought back online, Hubble aimed its sights on a pair of gravitationally interacting galaxies.

When the Earth Moved Kashmir
October 30, 2008
News and Features When the Earth Moved Kashmir

Nestled in the Himalaya Mountains, Kashmir inhabits a crossroads between the Middle East and Asia. Kashmir’s valleys and snow-clad peaks have historically hosted divergent cultures and housed scholarly learning centers.

Cold Storage for Alien Organisms
October 30, 2008
News and Features Cold Storage for Alien Organisms

Some lunar craters may be perfect for preserving samples of life from Earth, and possibly even from Mars or other planets. Ancient organic remnants could have been delivered to the Moon as debris that was thrown into space after asteroids impacted rocky worlds in our solar system.

Halloween Storms of 2003 Still the Scariest
October 29, 2008
News and Features Halloween Storms of 2003 Still the Scariest

By the eerie light of a Halloween moon, while a chilly wind blows autumn-dry leaves askitter on bare and fingered branches, scary things can happen.

Halloween Sky Show
October 29, 2008
News and Features Halloween Sky Show

The planets are gathering for spooky sunset sky show on Oct. 31st. Read today's story to find out where to look.

Two Belts Cinch System
October 29, 2008
News and Features Two Belts Cinch System

Astronomers have discovered two asteroid belts and an icy outer ring around a nearby star. Scientists believe that the system might resemble our own solar system at the time of life's origin on Earth.

Station Astronauts to Vote From Space
October 28, 2008
News and Features Station Astronauts to Vote From Space

In this day and age, people engage in their right to vote from all over the world. But this Nov. 4, few ballots will have traveled as far as those cast by two NASA astronauts.

NASA-Enhanced Dust Storm Predictions To Aid Health Community
October 28, 2008
News and Features NASA-Enhanced Dust Storm Predictions To Aid Health Community

NASA satellite data can improve forecasts of dust storms in the American Southwest in ways that can benefit public health managers. Scientists announced the finding as a five-year NASA-funded project nears its conclusion.

Titan is Electric
October 28, 2008
News and Features Titan is Electric

Scientists have determined that Saturn's moon Titan could have electrical storms occurring in its atmosphere. Such storms might provide energy for the formation of important organic and pre-biotic molecules.

Hubble Status Report No. 7
October 27, 2008
News and Features Hubble Status Report No. 7

The current primary camera on the Hubble Space Telescope is now back in active operation and Hubble scientists may release an image from the telescope later this week.

Seeing Life in Viruses
October 27, 2008
News and Features Seeing Life in Viruses

From Astrobiology Magazine, European Edition is a story about research conducted by Kirsi Lehto of the University of Turku in Finland. Lehto studies plant viruses with an eye toward their role in the origin and evolution of life.

Closest Planetary System Hosts Two Asteroid Belts
October 27, 2008
News and Features Closest Planetary System Hosts Two Asteroid Belts

New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate that the nearest planetary system to our own has two asteroid belts.

NASA Tests Lunar Concepts in Arizona
October 27, 2008
News and Features NASA Tests Lunar Concepts in Arizona

Field tests are helping NASA engineers identify transportation and spacewalking needs for NASA's return to the moon by 2020.

ISS Expedition 17 Lands Safely
October 24, 2008
News and Features ISS Expedition 17 Lands Safely

The Expedition 17 crew landed in Kazakhstan at 11:37 p.m. EDT Thursday, a day after Commander Mike Fincke and the Expedition 18 crew took command of the International Space Station.

Magnetic Death Star
October 24, 2008
News and Features Magnetic Death Star

Scientists have discovered microscopic, magnetic fossils unlike anything previously seen. The fossils were discovered in sediments along the Atlantic that were deposited during an ancient period of global-warming.

Expedition 17 Lands Tonight, Expedition 18 on Space Station
October 23, 2008
News and Features Expedition 17 Lands Tonight, Expedition 18 on Space Station

The Expedition 17 crew is set to land in Kazakhstan around 11:36 p.m. EDT, a day after Commander Mike Fincke and the Expedition 18 crew took command of the International Space Station.

Climate Change Seeps into the Sea
October 23, 2008
News and Features Climate Change Seeps into the Sea

Scientists hope a new NASA mission will help them better understand how the Earth's oceans swallow a bitter pill known as carbon dioxide.

The Case of the Missing Gamma-ray Bursts
October 23, 2008
News and Features The Case of the Missing Gamma-ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are by far the brightest and most powerful explosions in the Universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. So it might seem a bit surprising that a group of them has gone missing.

Cutting Life Short
October 23, 2008
News and Features Cutting Life Short

Imagine a solar system where a life-bearing planet is slowly pulled in closer to its star. If life could survive the ensuing climate change, it would provide a clear example of the Gaia hypothesis in action.

Hubble Status Report #5
October 22, 2008
News and Features Hubble Status Report #5

Recent updates on Hubble science.

Get Them While They're Hot
October 22, 2008
News and Features Get Them While They're Hot

Astronomers have determined that young, rocky planets stay hot longer than previously believed. The heat generated by these planets could make them easier to spot around distant stars.

The Oddball Hosts of Gamma-ray Bursts
October 22, 2008
News and Features The Oddball Hosts of Gamma-ray Bursts

Cosmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts are curiously picky about where they explode. Shunning spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, gamma-ray bursts prefer to 'go off' in oddball star systems that astronomers are just beginning to understand.

Sachs Lays Out Another Mission for NASA
October 22, 2008
News and Features Sachs Lays Out Another Mission for NASA

When Jeffrey Sachs speaks of poverty, he's not talking about a hungry waif in New York or a homeless person in Chicago.

NASA Preparing for November Shuttle Launch
October 21, 2008
News and Features NASA Preparing for November Shuttle Launch

Workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center rolled the shuttle Atlantis back to the Vehicle Assembly Building Monday, making way for Endeavour to move to Launch Pad 39A for its launch of STS-126, targeted for Nov. 14.

NASA Returns to the Moon with Instruments on Indian Spacecraft
October 21, 2008
News and Features NASA Returns to the Moon with Instruments on Indian Spacecraft

Two NASA instruments to map the lunar surface will launch on India's maiden moon voyage. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper will assess mineral resources, and the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Mini-SAR, will map the polar regions and look for ice deposits.

Shifting to Life on Land
October 21, 2008
News and Features Shifting to Life on Land

Fossils from an organism known as the 'fishapod' are helping scientists understand how life moved out of the sea and began to walk on dry land. The study is providing new insights about this important step in the evolution of life on Earth.

Brief Mystery: What are Short Gamma-ray Bursts?
October 21, 2008
News and Features Brief Mystery: What are Short Gamma-ray Bursts?

A curiously short-lived type of gamma-ray burst has astronomers puzzled. Leading experts discuss the clues at today's Gamma-ray Burst Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

IBEX is in Orbit!
October 20, 2008
News and Features IBEX is in Orbit!

After a smooth countdown and climb toward space, NASA's IBEX spacecraft is in orbit.

Phoenix Gets Bonus Soil Sample
October 20, 2008
News and Features Phoenix Gets Bonus Soil Sample

The Mars Phoenix Lander's robotic arm successfully delivered soil into oven six of the lander's thermal and evolved-gas analyzer (TEGA) on Monday, Oct. 13, or Martian day (sol) 137 of the mission.

Tools of the Trade
October 20, 2008
News and Features Tools of the Trade

Bernhard Anderson began his career using a slide rule. Today this engineer utilizes sophisticated computer software to help NASA discover new approaches to achieving technology breakthroughs.

Simulating Survival in Space
October 20, 2008
News and Features Simulating Survival in Space

When humans are sent to Mars, will they survive the journey? People confined to close quarters for a long time inevitably get on each others nerves, and the fact that Mars is named after a god of warfare seems a bad omen. The Mars Society sent seven people to Devon Island to see if we can’t all just get along for the sake of exploration.

Shooting Life on Mars
October 17, 2008
News and Features Shooting Life on Mars

Using a highly sensitive laser, scientists have developed a new method to search for cells in martian minerals. The technique reduces the risk of contamination and can detect incredibly low concentrations of biomolecules.

Hubble Status Update
October 17, 2008
News and Features Hubble Status Update

During the night of Oct. 15, Space Telescope Operations Control Center engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center turned on and checked out Side B of Hubble’s Science Instrument Control and Data Handling system.

NASA'S Fermi Telescope Discovers First Gamma-Ray-Only Pulsar
October 17, 2008
News and Features NASA'S Fermi Telescope Discovers First Gamma-Ray-Only Pulsar

About three times a second, a 10,000-year-old stellar corpse sweeps a beam of gamma-rays toward Earth. Discovered by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the object, called a pulsar, is the first one known that only "blinks" in gamma rays.

Volcanoes May Have Provided Sparks and Chemistry for First Life
October 17, 2008
News and Features Volcanoes May Have Provided Sparks and Chemistry for First Life

Lightning and gases from volcanic eruptions could have given rise to the first life on Earth, according to a new analysis of samples from a classic origin-of-life experiment by NASA and university researchers.

Phoenix Mars Mission Honored by Popular Mechanics
October 17, 2008
News and Features Phoenix Mars Mission Honored by Popular Mechanics

NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission is being honored with a Breakthrough Award by Popular Mechanics magazine today in New York City.

"Alien" Water Bears Amaze Scientists
October 16, 2008
News and Features "Alien" Water Bears Amaze Scientists

Tardigrades, commonly known as "water bears", have been reared under laboratory conditions and subjected to a barrage of tests. Their survivability shows that animals can survive extreme conditions, and also may indicate how humans could adapt to the rigors of space.

Team Helps to Resolve Long-Standing Puzzle in Climate Science
October 16, 2008
News and Features Team Helps to Resolve Long-Standing Puzzle in Climate Science

A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics.

Two Black Holes Teach Astronomers a Lesson
October 16, 2008
News and Features Two Black Holes Teach Astronomers a Lesson

Observations of two different systems -- each containing stellar-mass black holes -- are showing astronomers how much they have yet to learn.

IBEX Set for Sunday Launch
October 15, 2008
News and Features IBEX Set for Sunday Launch

The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space is ready for launch at 1:48 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Cyclones at Saturn's Poles Create a Swirl of Mystery
October 15, 2008
News and Features Cyclones at Saturn's Poles Create a Swirl of Mystery

New images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal a giant cyclone at Saturn's north pole, and show that a similarly monstrous cyclone churning at Saturn's south pole is powered by Earth-like storm patterns.

Searching for Earth Life, from Venus
October 15, 2008
News and Features Searching for Earth Life, from Venus

Venus Express is being used to observe the Earth from its orbit around Venus. Astronomers hope that the data will help develop techniques to search for habitable planets around distant stars.

Severe Storms: Hurricane Norbert
October 15, 2008
News and Features Severe Storms: Hurricane Norbert

Forming in the Eastern Pacific, Hurricane Norbert became a severe hurricane. By October 11, 2008, it was situated over Baja California. By October 12, 2008, the storm had removed roofs and produced knee-high rain.

Earth Science Week: 2008
October 14, 2008
News and Features Earth Science Week: 2008

Keep your eyes glued to the Goddard Web site through the week of October 12 for daily videos that answer several questions about our home planet. The videos are all part of Earth Science Week: 2008, themed "No Child Left Inside."

Patterns in the Dust
October 14, 2008
News and Features Patterns in the Dust

Astronomers may have discovered a new method for detecting planets as small as Mars orbiting distant stars. The method would open a new avenue in the search for habitable planets in the universe.

The Day the World Didn't End
October 14, 2008
News and Features The Day the World Didn't End

Last month when scientists switched on the Large Hadron Collider, the world did not come to an end. In today's story, a particle physicist explains why not--and why Earth is safe from black holes when the collider is reactivated in the months ahead.

Expedition 18 Crew Docks with Space Station
October 14, 2008
News and Features Expedition 18 Crew Docks with Space Station

Commander Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov of the 18th International Space Station crew docked their Soyuz TMA-13 to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya module at 4:26 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

NASA's Spitzer Gets Sneak Peak Inside Comet Holmes
October 14, 2008
News and Features NASA's Spitzer Gets Sneak Peak Inside Comet Holmes

When comet Holmes unexpectedly erupted in 2007, professional and amateur astronomers around the world turned their telescopes toward the spectacular event.

NASA Maps Shed Light on Carbon Dioxide's Global Nature
October 10, 2008
News and Features NASA Maps Shed Light on Carbon Dioxide's Global Nature

A NASA/university study reveals new information on how carbon dioxide, which directly contributes to climate change, is distributed in Earth's atmosphere and moves around our world.

Sick Earth
October 10, 2008
News and Features Sick Earth

Geologists studying mass extinctions in Earth's history have determined that the majority of extinction events were due to climate change rather than asteroid impacts.

Liquid Mirror Telescopes on the Moon
October 10, 2008
News and Features Liquid Mirror Telescopes on the Moon

A team of internationally renowned astronomers and opticians may have found a way to make "unbelievably large" telescopes on the Moon.

Expedition 18 to Launch Sunday
October 10, 2008
News and Features Expedition 18 to Launch Sunday

Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov are scheduled to launch in their Soyuz TMA-13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan about 3 a.m. EDT Sunday to begin a six-month stay in space.

Studying a Giant Planet
October 09, 2008
News and Features Studying a Giant Planet

Eight years from now, the Juno spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter, with instruments to study its atmosphere. Research goals for the mission include determining how the giant planet formed, how much water it contains, and how its powerful auroras compare to Earth’s Northern Lights.

NASA Aeronautics, Space Science on Exhibit at Albuquerque Balloon Fest
October 09, 2008
News and Features NASA Aeronautics, Space Science on Exhibit at Albuquerque Balloon Fest

So what do some of the 800,000 fans of the Albuquerque, N.M., Balloon Fiesta events do when the action is over, out of sight, or called off due to weather? They head to exhibits such as NASA’s, available through Oct. 12.

Apollo Heat Shield Helps New Crew Vehicle Design
October 09, 2008
News and Features Apollo Heat Shield Helps New Crew Vehicle Design

NASA scientists developing the next generation of exploration vehicles and heat shields for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle experienced "Christmas in July" when they uncrated the heat shields used on the Apollo missions some 35 years ago. These shields now are being analyzed to help with the development and engineering process.

Phoenix Lander Digs and Analyzes Soil as Darkness Gathers
October 09, 2008
News and Features Phoenix Lander Digs and Analyzes Soil as Darkness Gathers

As fall approaches Mars' northern plains, NASA's Phoenix Lander is busy digging into the Red Planet's soil and scooping it into its onboard science laboratories for analysis.

Spinoff 2008 Highlights NASA Innovations In Everyday Life
October 08, 2008
News and Features Spinoff 2008 Highlights NASA Innovations In Everyday Life

The 2008 edition of NASA's annual Spinoff publication celebrates the agency's 50th anniversary and highlights 50 new examples of how NASA technology is being put to use in everyday life. This anniversary edition features a 50-year timeline of NASA-derived technologies from historical programs and projects, and a summary of award-winning NASA technologies included in Spinoff over the years.

Cassini Plans Doubleheader Flybys of Saturn's Geyser Moon
October 08, 2008
News and Features Cassini Plans Doubleheader Flybys of Saturn's Geyser Moon

NASA's Cassini team will come to bat twice this month -- Oct. 9 and Oct. 31 -- when the spacecraft flies by Saturn's geyser moon, Enceladus.

Reightler: Human Space Exploration Is Man's Destiny
October 08, 2008
News and Features Reightler: Human Space Exploration Is Man's Destiny

In the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy was making his pitch for the United States to send astronauts to the moon, he put the challenge succinctly. "We go … not because it's easy, but because it's hard," Kennedy told Congress and the world.

MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By
October 07, 2008
News and Features MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By

During the encounter, the probe swung just 125 miles (200 kilometers) above the cratered surface of Mercury, snapping hundreds of pictures and collecting a variety of other data.

NASA Study Finds Rising Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice, Climate
October 07, 2008
News and Features NASA Study Finds Rising Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice, Climate

A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change.

Animals Making Tracks
October 07, 2008
News and Features Animals Making Tracks

The fossilized trail of an aquatic creature suggests that animals walked using legs at least 30 million years earlier than had been thought. Scientists once thought that it was primarily microbes and simple multicellular animals that existed prior to the Cambrian, but studies like this may change that notion.

A quest for astronomy's holy grail
October 07, 2008
News and Features A quest for astronomy's holy grail

Sarah Seager hopes her exoplanet research will help "complete the Copernican Revolution."

Measuring the Weight of Ancient Air
October 06, 2008
News and Features Measuring the Weight of Ancient Air

In the first study of its kind, researchers will measure the air pressure from nearly three billion years ago by using gas bubbles in lava and tiny craters made by raindrops. The results could indicate what sort of life may have existed on the ancient Earth.

Sensors Advance Lunar Landing Project
October 06, 2008
News and Features Sensors Advance Lunar Landing Project

NASA is developing technologies that will allow lunar landers to automatically identify and navigate to the location of a safe landing site while detecting landing hazards during the final descent to the surface.

NASA Spacecraft Ready to Explore Outer Solar System
October 06, 2008
News and Features NASA Spacecraft Ready to Explore Outer Solar System

The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space is ready for launch Oct. 19. The two-year mission will begin from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Breathing Like a Bird
October 03, 2008
News and Features Breathing Like a Bird

The remains of a unique dinosaur discovered in Argentina are helping scientists understand the connections between dinosaurs and birds. The study sheds light on an important moment in the evolution of life on our planet.

Treasure Hunting on the Moon: LRO and the Search for Water
October 03, 2008
News and Features Treasure Hunting on the Moon: LRO and the Search for Water

On the moon, a bottle of water would run about $50,000, and forget about that heavy crystal glass. That's because it costs around $50,000 per pound to launch anything to the moon. Discovering water on the moon would be like finding a gold mine.

Dust Plume off Iceland
October 03, 2008
News and Features Dust Plume off Iceland

Dust storms usually call to mind vast sand seas along the Equator, or dried up lakebeds in Central Asia, but such storms can also occur at much higher latitudes.

Digging up Ancient Microbes
October 02, 2008
News and Features Digging up Ancient Microbes

Limestone from Namibia has biomarkers that indicate a community of microbes oxidized methane at least 300 million years ago. Such biomarkers can provide clues to the history of life on Earth, and could help scientists search for signs of life on other worlds.

NASA Spacecraft Finds the Sun is Not a Perfect Sphere
October 02, 2008
News and Features NASA Spacecraft Finds the Sun is Not a Perfect Sphere

Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have found that, during years of high solar activity, the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that brightens and fattens the "stellar waist."

Celebrating 10 Years of Hubble Heritage Images
October 02, 2008
News and Features Celebrating 10 Years of Hubble Heritage Images

The landmark 10th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's Hubble Heritage Project is being celebrated with a "landscape" image from the cosmos.

MESSENGER Returns to Mercury
October 01, 2008
News and Features MESSENGER Returns to Mercury

MESSENGER, the first mission to orbit the planet closest to the sun, will fly by Mercury once again on Oct. 6, 2008, for the second time this year.

Dust Storm off West Africa
October 01, 2008
News and Features Dust Storm off West Africa

Dust plumes blew off the west coast of northern Africa for the second consecutive day in late September 2008.

Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age
October 01, 2008
News and Features Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age

Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 has become the "blankest year" of the Space Age. Sunspot counts are at a 50-year low, signifying a deep minimum in the 11-year cycle of solar activity.

Archive Summary